Sky Blue Theatre Company will be granting the wish of terminally ill playwright Anne Bartram by producing her full length comedy at Camden People’s Theatre, London. That Catholic Thing is inspired by Anne’s own experiences of disability and views of religion.
Anne’s health started to fail more than twenty years ago when she was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, followed by Hairy Cell Leukaemia and Fibromyalgia. In 2015 Anne was diagnosed with Myeloma cancer and with the single bucket list wish of seeing her controversial new play in production, Sky Blue felt it was time to give her something back.
In the opinion of John Mitton, the founder of Sky Blue Theatre Company and the son of Anne “This is not a sob story but the best way we can think of spending the time with her. Time that would otherwise be spent prematurely grieving and Anne left thinking if only she had more time. We have time now so we’re using it to be the best we can. This kind of thing is worth fighting for. Making entertainment at a time like this is so important and we should never neglect those kinds of dreams from happening. Without theatre there’s a lot less to smile over.”
That Catholic Thing explores the ideology of religion, its pomp and ceremony and its historical attitude to disability and mental health. Issues including alcoholism, homelessness and incest add to both the comedy and tragedy of the story until in the final moments of the play Louise suffers a brutal abortion and the Catholic Church triumphs in its optimism.
Listings information
Camden People’s Theatre, 58-60 Hampstead Rd, London NW1 2PY (Charity No. 1058723)
Tuesday 21st June- Sunday 17th July (no performance 25th June or Mondays) 7.30pm
Running Time: 90 minutes | Suitable for ages 16+ | Tickets: £14/£12
Box Office: +44 020 7419 4841 | Website: www.cptheatre.co.uk/production/that-catholic-thing
